Schools, parents and students are now clashing more frequently over the issue of regulating student attire. In November of 2014, some 25 young women attending Fredericton High School in New Brunswick walked out of class to protest the school’s dress code, labeling it “sexist,” discriminatory and indicative of a hidden “rape culture.” Since then similar student protests have spread, across Canada and the United States. When warm spring weather encouraged teens to rush the seasons, teachers and principals, bound by school dress codes, began clamping down on students, particularly teen girls, ‘showing off too much skin.’
Protests against “sexist” school dress codes are raising new issues for North American schools. Teachers and principals disciplining students for wearing “revealing attire” find themselves in the eye of a very public storm. Tech-savvy teens turn to social media with hashtag protests like #MyBodyMyBusiness and #CropTopDay aimed at so-called “sexist rules” that seem to fixate more on girls than boys.
All the publicity has rekindled the old debate over appropriate school attire. It has also prompted some North American public schools to introduce uniforms as a way to address the increasingly controversial matter of making subjective judgements about student dress. In a few schools such as Central Peel Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, it led school authorities to institute a one-year pilot project now deemed successful by most students and their parents.
The then principal of Central Peel, Lawrence DeMaeyer, took the plunge with the support of parents and teachers looking to help kids focus more on their schoolwork. After introducing a regular uniform with white or green collared and crested polo shirts, he found “a lot less students dressing inappropriately,” “It raised the bar,” he said, and 9 out of 10 students complied immediately, while only a small percentage spent their time “trying to resist in every way.” Dealing with uniform infractions was “much more palatable” than the “very difficult” conversations regularly pitting teachers and administrators against mostly female students.
One of the relatively few experts on school dress, Dr. Barbara Cruz, a University of South Florida professor of secondary education, tends to favour uniforms, but provides a reasonably sound assessment of the educational research. In her book School Dress Codes: A Pro/Con Issue (2001 and 2004), she notes that most of the case for uniforms is based upon anecdotal evidence. When surveyed, teachers and administrators in uniformed schools are fairly consistent in reporting that students are more focused, better behaved and have higher attendance records and academic achievement. It’s also much easier to spot a stranger at school when everyone is wearing similar clothes.
The empirical evidence to support such claims is harder to find because of the state of the research and the difficulty in isolating “dress” as a factor when many factors can contribute to better student progress and behaviour.
Recent protests over “sexist” dress codes may well open the door for more experiments in introducing school uniforms. Supporters of student uniforms, normally the informal crested polo shirt version, say that the issue of sex discrimination is significantly alieviated and, after some initial adjustment, students find ways to express their identities and personalities with jewelry, accessories, and various types of long and short pants and skirts.
One Grade 12 Moncton high school student, Lauren Wiggins, famous for being suspended in her halter-top dress, is now a surprising convert to more consistent student dress codes. After achieving international fame when George Takei, “King of Facebook,” took up her cause, Lauren now advocates clear, consistent, gender-neutral dress guidelines, including — where the community supports the concept– school uniforms. Ending the “sexist” and discriminatory aspects of current policies are the first priority for her and presumably others who fashion themselves young feminists.
Will student dress code controversies remain predictable contests between conformity and individuality? To what extent are existing dress codes being applied more on teen girls than boys? Are disciplinary actions aimed at curtailing “revealing” attire and reducing “distractions” for boys indicative of a hidden “rape culture”? Would introducing simple, comfortable, gender-neutral uniforms help to address concerns raised by today’s politically-engaged young women?
I think the days of the uniform are numbered.
You must be a speed reader, Doug. Your response appeared seconds after my latest 750 word, fully referenced, online commentary. Either you read fast or simply pounce expressing what might be termed “bias confirmation” declarations.
Fact: One out of four American elementary schools now have uniforms, so uniforms are not going extinct. In Montreal, public and private schools with uniforms enroll about 35 to 40 % of all students. Days are numbered? That’s a lot of days to count off!
I am not actually open to new information. I already know all I need to know. The universe is unfolding as expected.Uniforms are common in Communist and other totalitarian nations and with religious schools (also based on indoctrination) they don’t exactly say “free thinking around here.”
Central Peel parents voted for a change to uniforms for various cultural reasons. The neighborhood nearby where I taught was historically a majority white (80%) with a (20%) black population. They always placed well in the Sears Drama competition. More recently the school’s drawing card is now heavily East Asian and other minorities . Central Peel also holds the honor of being the very first PeelDSB school to offer both regular and AP streams to its stakeholders. (The only drawback for the kids and parents is the the Board Office has erected huge signs to promote their high school specialist programs. Unfortunately Peel’s misguided PR department has erected two story high banners to make their buldingslook more like a Dollarama outlets rather than a place of serious learning.
As a mum to 2 girls, this issue is close to the heart. Lots of discussion in our home on appropriate clothing…both at school and outside of school. I fully support uniforms in ALL schools for the very reasons that have been stated here. I also believe uniforms take out the SES equation in schools, placing all children on the same level playing field.
If public schools all over the world can have uniforms, no reason why it won’t work here. And I do believe both parents and kids would welcome it.
As much as I like the uniforms I still think you are going to have these problems. In Japan you have girls hiking their skirts up so high they might as well be belts. And then you will still have the “I want to where what I want” group causing trouble.
Uniforms speak to every negative force in the world.
Militarism
Elitism
Totalitarianism
Anti-intellectualism
Reactionary thinking
Always amusing how conservatives decry the nanny state but then want to tell girls and women how to dress.
Public spending is also terrible unless it is military spending and then the sky is the limit.
I wonder what would happen if a school undertook a serious student engagement process and allowed the students to work toward clothing guidelines acceptable within the school community. Imagine the healthy debate, the sharing of perspectives on gender and sexuality, and the empowerment of students. Too often, the question of dress code is decided by the adults. It’s a missed opportunity for youth to engage!